


morning glories

by smarky



Category: All Elite Wrestling, Professional Wrestling
Genre: F/F, Pre-Relationship, Trans Female Character, post-all out 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 06:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20887742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smarky/pseuds/smarky
Summary: Riho comes to congratulate Nyla after her victory in the Casino Battle Royale.Written for thefemslashficletsjanelle monae lyric prompt challenge - #2 "Pink like the halls of your heart"





	morning glories

Nyla’s doesn’t open her door immediately. Riho has to wait a minute, sneakers tapping on the blue waves of the hotel carpet, bouquet held hidden behind her back, before Nyla answers. 

When she does, it seems like she’s hurried out of the shower. Nyla’s wearing a nightgown, and her wet hair leaves trails of water on the fabric. It’s hard not to think that she looks beautiful, so Riho lets the feeling circulate freely. 

“Congratulations on the win,” Riho says in English before Nyla can question her. 

Then she thrusts out the flowers. The startled look on Nyla’s face is maybe too satisfying, considering Riho did mean this as a sincere gesture. Riho takes the opening she’s been given and slips past her into the hotel room. 

“Hey, wait--” Nyla whirls around. Riho can see the usual determination she has returning to her eyes. “I didn’t say you could come in here.” 

"Yes, true." Riho says with cheer. If Nyla really wanted to stop her, she would have done it. “You speak Japanese!” 

Nyla crosses her arms. “I’ve kept a bit from my time in Japan.” 

It’s more than a bit. Riho’s surprised to hear such a humble statement from her. 

“So, what, are you coming here to psych me out before our title match? Do some little flower shenanigans, like that will throw me off? I’m absolutely going to crush you, Riho.” 

Ah, there is the hubris again.

"You came out after I qualified against Shida. So now I'm returning the favour." Riho holds the flowers out again. "Please accept my congratulations."

They stare at each other for a few moments, and Riho can almost sense Nyla's eyes softening, can feel herself swallowing in response to being the subject of Nyla's focus. Then Nyla snatches the flowers. 

She cradles them against her chest like a baby and opens up the attached tag. Morning Glories, it says. Life is short, but love is forever!

“You’re pretty, delicate, like this flower.” Nyla delicately plucks a single petal from the bouquet. Then she rips it in half with her teeth. She takes the petal from between her lips, flicking it onto the table. “And this is what’s going to happen to you.” 

Riho chokes out an incredulous laugh, full of swooping adrenaline. “What’s going to happen to you is the same as what happened last time we faced each other.” Wait, Nyla had just called her pretty. 

"More games? Calling other people to help you because you can't beat me yourself?" There’s a cruel edge to her words, like she had tasted something unpleasant. 

"It was a three-way! Why are you so upset, you just beat like 29 other women!" 

"You're right, I did." Nyla says, calmer. It must be a huge boost of confidence, to remember you've accomplished something like that. “Mm… you should have gotten the Elite to come, and capture this for Youtube.” 

“Maybe.” It would make a good segment, but… Riho can’t make herself care too much about that right now. Her blood pounds, holding together the empty space between them, between now and when they fight, between them being enemies and the potential for… she hopes something else to grow, like the first plants after a forest fire. 

“Well. I’m big enough to recognize your effort.” Nyla lays the bouquet on the table and comes up to Riho, extending a handshake. Wow. “Looking forward to our match.” 

Riho takes it quickly, and doesn’t know what she feels when Nyla strokes her thumb, or when Nyla suddenly pulls her in closer so Riho’s head is almost on her chest, or when she can smell the flowers in Nyla’s shampoo. “May the best woman win.” Riho’s startled by the thought Nyla might be willing to have a clean match, just for her. 

“Yep.” Nyla lets Riho go. This was probably supposed to scare her, wasn’t it? “Well, I need to get dressed. You’d better get a move on.”

Riho knows shouldn't push her luck, but she can't stop the words she wants to say from escaping her head. "After this match… let's not forget about each other, okay?" 

"Sure thing," says Nyla, tone unreadable. She shuts the door, as final a statement as anything. 

Riho had expected her to laugh at that. Maybe Nyla had just meant she was sure to remember to keep fighting Riho, but… 

Maybe… there was hope. 

Riho’s shirt has small wet marks from Nyla’s hair now, as much as a sign of how close Nyla got to her as the bloody handprint she uses would be. But unlike blood, water evaporates, and the marks will disappear in minutes.

Riho should stop staring at the door. What is she hoping will happen? There's no time better than now to train, with her motivation so high.

**Author's Note:**

> comments very appreciated!! 💞💞💞


End file.
